Rookie driver questions for you seasoned guys.

So I am a rookie driver, still very green and have a few questions and looking for maybe a little advice from you seasoned drivers.

About me; 3 months driving experience, 28,000 miles. Tanker and Doubles endorsement, going to get the Hazmat endorsement in the next month or so. Restricted to Automatic Transmission for now.

Trained by the company that hired me to haul tomatoes for them.

Given the bare minimum training to get my Class A asap, thus trained on Automatic Transmission trucks only.

All my driving consisted of pulling Double Trailers, open top bin trailers. You have no doubt seen these crazy tomato trucks and drivers if you live in central California. Up and down Interstate 5 every day.

Pulling empty trailers to a field and pulling the full trailers back to the plant. The trips were anywhere from a few miles each way on up to over 200 miles each way.

I have not had to do a backing skill or back up anything with a trailer since my DMV check ride with a single 27' trailer. other than backing up to hook up to trailers. I did have good season, no break downs or even a scratch to a truck or trailer the entire season.

I have no experience with flat bed work, have never tied down a load, no dry van experience either, other than when I worked as a dock worker loading flatbeds and dry vans/reefers.
On top of that I have no training on a manual which I really want to get and the company I trained with is not an "Accredited" training center. Which I recently found out was a thing after one company I was looking at replied to get back to them when I have 6 mo experience and graduation from an accredited school.

So here are some of my questions.

1. I do have a license and a few months on the road, but also limited training such as the manual restriction and no flatbed or van exp and out of practice on backing skills. Should I look into going through a trucking school like swift and doing the entire course like a non driver to get that extra training and graduation cert from an accredited school? Maybe such schools have a cheaper accelerated program for people like me? I was thinking maybe going this rout and working for them "Maybe" to build up some road time till I have another year or two exp under my belt then on to something better.
Would you suggest going this route or just trying to get on with someone that will hire a green rookie and learn on the job?

2. What would my type of driving experience be considered? I assume since I was home every night it does not qualify as OTR experience? so if asked about my OTR it would be 0?

3. Where is the money in Trucking, I am thinking specializing in Flat Bed would be a good way to go. I would prefer to be a solo driver, I have no interest in Team Driving. At this time I am not even considering O/O. I would want a lot more experience and to really understand the finances involved in such a venture, right now I am happy to drive for someone else.

4. Any of you guys driving / Living in Alaska? I grew up in Alaska, currently living in California and am itching to move back. But want to peruse this career. Was curious what kind of driving work is available up there. I know there is north slope work that pays great for those drivers lucky enough to get those jobs. I do not know if they have any kind of regular longer haul work in the state other than maybe Anchorage to Homer / Kenai, (I grew up in Kenai). Anchorage to Fairbanks etc. Which would be cool. I would love a longer OTR Alaska driving job even if it was AK/Canada/Lower 48 north west as long as it always got me back to Alaska. I did see a Lynden truck/trailer here in California the other day that got me a little home sick. Did not know if maybe they were doing Alaska to California runs. If not Alaska, I still want to get out of California, preferably somewhere north where it is much cooler and greener and less California. Not detoured by having to drive in rain and snow, I'm a winter guy. But happy to drive SoCal Traffic for a while to earn my way out.

Thanks for any advice or thoughts.

P.S.
By the way, I have family here in Californa but am a single guy with no kids, so not a big deal to relocate or spend lots of time away from home to advance my career in driving. As long as I do not have to live in another Blue State.

 

Thanks Chinatown.